In the title "A knight of the seven kingdoms", a fictional tale by George R.R. Martin, 'Hedge knights' are core elements in this book (the main character being squire to one), the writer describes them as being freelance knights who live on the road, travel light, generally poor, and serve under who ever hires them and participate in any activities that bring them profit weather it be banditry or tournaments or serving under many lords, while mercenaries were a common thing in most militaries throughout history, I wonder if these hedge knights were a common phenomena in the medieval ages and if they were true at all? were all knights rich lords with plots of lands or were there such knights who slept under bushes and travelled and serve under many lords to make a living as mercenaries?